Valerie Elliott leans out her front door to see the water has swept away her porch Saturday morning at her home in east Greeley. Elliott was among the few allowed back to their homes Saturday morning. She was concerned about the water rising and sweeping away her home completely.

Jennifer Booth gets a cup of coffee at the Greeley Recreation Center in downtown Greeley, where the Red Cross set up a shelter complete with cots and food donated by organizations such as Greeley-Evans School District 6. Booth was in a mobile home park in Evans when the waters flooded her home Friday morning. She and her life partner were among the more than 80 who stayed the night.

• U.S. 287 at Big Thompson River in Loveland from SH 402 to 5th Street

• U.S. 287 in Fort Collins from MP 347 to MP 348

• SH 7 between Lyons and Estes Park

• SH 14 between Ted’s Place and Walden

• SH 52 eastbound from County Road (CR) 1 to U.S. 287

• SH 60 Eastbound/Westbound Weld County Road 46 (Milemarker 16-16)

• SH 66 between 53rd Street (Longmont) and Lyons

• SH 66 Eastbound / Westbound CR 13 to CR 19 (Between I-25 & US 85)

• SH 119 between Boulder and Nederland (Boulder Canyon)

• SH 119 between County Line Road and I-25

• SH 170 from SH 93 to El Dorado Canyon State Park

• SH 257 between SH 60/Milliken to U.S. 34

• SH 392 from I-25 (Larimer County Road 5) east to 17th Street in Windsor

• SH 144 at US 34 (northwest of Wiggins)

In Greeley:

• East 24th Street, east of Cherry Avenue

• 71st Avenue between O Street to Poudre River Ranch

• 1st Avenue south of 22nd Street

• Riverview Farms Subdivision, between 28th and 30th streets, east of 1st Avenue

• 95th Avenue from O Street to F Street

In Evans:

ROAD CLOSURE UPDATES

• 31st Street closed at 1st Avenue

• Empire Street at 40th Street, 39th Street and 37th Street is closed

• Pueblo Street at 40th Street is closed

• 42nd Street closed east of U.S. 85

• 37th Street closed east of U.S. 85

• 42nd Street closed west to Carson Avenue

• 31st Street closed east of U.S. 85

• Two-Rivers Parkway (southbound) at 37th Street is CLOSED

• Industrial Parkway Closed

• Brantner Road Closed

• 54th Street Road Closed

• Bridge at Weld County Road 54 (37th Street) and 1st Avenue Closed

• Riverside Park Closed

• Riverside Trail Closed

Windsor closures:

• 7th St between Eastman Park Drive and New Liberty.

• Main Street/Colo. 392 at the Poudre River.

• County Road 13 north of Main Street/Colo. 392

• Eastman Park is CLOSED all weekend. Restrooms are locked

• Poudre River Trail in Windsor is CLOSED due to flooding in areas

• County Road 5 at Poudre River (Southbound in Timnath south of Harmony)

• Jacoby Road at Poudre River

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UPDATE, 7:25 P.M. — Authorities are asking all motorists to strictly adhere to established road closures, and Weld sheriff’s deputies will ticket those who don’t. The county and many municipalities have placed numerous road barriers throughout area on roads that are unsafe or impassable.

“Emergency responders are trying to focus on continued rescue efforts and ensuring the safety of residents in flood areas,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “Motorists that disregard barriers and become stuck and/or stranded are taking much needed resources away from the primary focus of emergency responders.”

•••

UPDATE, 6:30 P.M. — City of Greeley officials are asking residents not to bring food to the evacuation center at the Greeley Recreation Center.

“Do not bring any food donations to the shelter,” city officials said in a news release. They have plenty of food and cannot accept any more. Other donations can be made via 2-1-1 or at www.unitedway-weld.org or www.cfsgwc.org.”

The operation of the shelter at the rec center, 651 10th Ave., has been shifted to Weld County and the American Red Cross.

The announcement came at the same time that city officials said conditions in Greeley had improved sufficiently to allow them to reduce staffing levels at the city’s emergency operations center. Officials will, however, continue to monitor river levels throughout the night.

Greeley officials also closed 6th Avenue from 5th Street to O Street.

The city of Evans has established an information line for Evans residents with questions. The number is (970) 475-1100.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has closed Colo. 52 from Interstate 76 to Colo. 14.

•••

UPDATE, 5:50 P.M. — Weld County government is reporting that it made 32,483 contacts to Weld County phones — 17,242 pre-evacuations and mandatory evacuation notices; and 15,241 informational notices (can return to home, water and sewage advisory).

The thunderstorms that moved through the area apparenty have not caused considerable damage, although we’re still checking.

• • •

UPDATE, 4:45 p.m. — The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning until 7:45 pm. for central Weld County.

Radar indicated thunderstorms were producing heavy rain over Ault. Another storm is expected to develop in the Lucerne area by 5 p.m.

At least initially, Greeley and Evans appear to be avoiding the brunt of the storm, although lightning is causing rescue efforts to slow.

• • •

UPDATE, 3:57 P.M. — A flash flood warning has been issued for southwestern Weld County, western Adams County and northern Denver County.

Two storms, one over Aurora and another near Platteville, are expected to produce heavy rain. Areas in Weld County that could experience heavy flooding, according to the National Weather Service, include Brighton, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Fort Lupton, Lochbuie, Dacono, Mead and Platteville.

• • •

UPDATE, 3:22 P.M. — CDOT has opened up U.S. 85 between Evans and LaSalle. Also, Colo. 392 has been opened east of Interstate 25, from Larimer County Road 5 to 17th Street in Windsor.

• • •

UPDATE, 3:15 P.M. — It may be sunny with blue skies now in the Greeley area, but it appears that rain may be headed our way.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for central Larimer County. Doppler radar indicated heavy rain was falling just southeast of Pingree Park and just south of Red Feather Lakes in the mountains west of Fort Collins. Excessive runoff from the storm will cause flash flooding of creeks and streams, according to the weather service.

Stay tuned for weather updates.

• • •

UPDATE, 2:50 P.M. — The city of Evans has installed portable toilets at various locations in town. More than 80 have been set up around town.

The city also has released a map of the areas that are in the “no flush” zone. The map is the second image with this story or you may find it here.

• • •

UPDATE, 1:15 P.M. — Interstate 25 has reopened completely from Denver to the Wyoming state line.

Also, the city of Greeley has lifted its evacuation order of the Riverview Farms subdivision. Greeley police personnel are now allowing residents back into the area. All others should stay out of the neighborhood.

• • •

UPDATE, 12:15 P.M. — The Weld County Humane Society, 42nd Avenue and 17th Street in Evans, is accepting animals from residents who had to evacuate. The shelter had a dozen dogs as of noon Saturday and some cats and had room for more cats and 15 more dogs.

The shelter will find a place once it fills, so bring your animals. Local vets were taking animals as well, though they were filling up fast with regular customers’ pets.

A shelter at North 11th Avenue and H Street was accepting livestock, so take your farm and ranch animals there.

Both shelters need supplies — cat and dog food and kitty litter at the humane society, and livestock supplies, including hay and bridles at the other location.

• • •

UPDATE, 11:55 a.m. — The city of Evans reports that its 1st Avenue sewer treatment plant is still out of service and officials are evaluating all possible options. The city said Port-o-lets may be available in affected areas later today.

Residents affected by the “no flush” order are asked to refrain from all uses of the sewer system, which includes flushing of toilets, laundry, bathing or showering, and dishwashing. The city’s water system is safe, however, and domestic water is safe to drink.

The areas affected by the “no flush” rule are:

• The Carriage Estates subdivision in unincorporated Weld County.

• The Hunter’s Reserve subdivision north of Park View Drive and east of Mountain View Drive.

• All land in the Evans city limits east of 29th Avenue and north of the South Platte River.

Evans officials say floodwaters may stay high through the weekend and they encourage residents to stay out of flooded areas, do not move barricades and do not drive through standing water.

• • •

UPDATE, 11:15 A.M. — The town of Johnstown is reporting that floodwaters have receded in the area around town, but the mandatory evacuation of the Thompson River Ranch subdivision remains in effect. However, a mandatory evacuation for downtown Johnstown and surrounding neighborhoods has been lifted.

Access to Johnstown from Interstate 25 on Colo. 60 is open.

Colo. 60 between Johnstown and Milliken remains closed; Weld County Road 17 north of Johnstown and Weld 50 are both still closed; the bridges on Weld roads 17, 15 and 13 south of Colo. 60 also remain closed.

Water quality in Johnstown is not affected by the flooding and water remains safe to consume.

• • •

UPDATE, 11 A.M. — A weather update, according to the National Weather Service and Weld County dispatch: It has started to rain lightly in Boulder and western Fort Collins.

Rain is expected to start falling in the Greeley area about 2 p.m., and intensify in the afternoon and evening hours, ending about 9 p.m.

• • •

UPDATE, 10:10 A.M. — Weld County Commissioner Bill Garcia calls the flooding an “unprecedented event” at the beginning of a press conference that started at 10:10 a.m. today. Commissioner Sean Conway says about 140 county roads have been damaged by the flooding.

The city of Greeley is reporting some good news: Homes in the Riverview Farms subdivision didn’t get flooded overnight and their streets are no longer flooded.

County officials say they are working with several agencies — municipalities, school districts, private companies, the oil and gas industry — to best help individuals who have been affected.

Weld Sheriff John Cooke asks residents to not go around barricades. Many county roads are barricaded but the sheriff’s office does not have enough manpower to have deputies at every location.

County officials say to the best of their knowledge, no water supplies have been affected by oil and gas industry or pipeline issues.

No one has been injured and there are no reports of anybody missing, county officials say.

The town of Frederick reports that residents can go to Rocky Mountain Christian Church to get bottled water at 10:45 a.m. this morning.

• • •

UPDATE, 9:55 A.M. — About 80 stayed last night at the Greeley Recreation Center, where the Red Cross set up the official shelter for displaced residents. There are 150 cots available, said Andy McRoberts, director of parks and recreation for the city of Greeley, but he said he doesn’t want to turn anyone away.

There’s also food from organizations such Greeley-Evans School District 6, showers and bathrooms available. The recreation center fitness rooms remained open to the public.

Many of the residents were from Evans, and many others were just looking for toiletries. Toiletries remained the biggest need at the shelter as of Saturday morning, though officials was also taking non-perishable food. The shelter can’t accept home-cooked meals.

You can donate, or use the shelter, at 651 10th Ave., Greeley.

• • •

UPDATE, 9:45 A.M. — Some East Greeley residents are returning to their homes to discover major damage this morning.

Shawna Lou Minney grew up on a home at 2631 E. 18th Street, near Fern Avenue, and said her parents’ home is pretty much destroyed. Her mom passed away several years ago and she said her dad lost everything, except they were able to retrieve her Mom’s ashes. All of the furniture and clothes in the home were destroyed.

“This was their dream home right here,” Minney said. She said the family isn’t sure if they have flood insurance that will cover their losses. “We’ll figure that out later.”

Coincidentally, the anniversary of her mother’s death is six years ago today. Minney said there are signs that God was watching over their home, because no one died and all of the family’s neighbors are safe. A small garden in front of the home, which was a favorite of her mother’s, also survived without major damage.

Minney’s mother and father also built a 4-wheeler themselves, and it too survived. Aside from the 4-wheeler and the garden, the family pretty much lost everything in the flood, she said.

• • •

UPDATE, 8:42 a.m. — The city of Greeley reports that the Platte River has dropped significantly since last night and water has receded out of the Riverview Farms subdivision.

• • •

UPDATE, 8:35 a.m. — Steve Reams, Weld County Sheriff’s Office bureau chief, said there are not a lot of residents that remain stranded. There is one helicopter rescue still occurring this morning in the Kersey area. But, he added, “The flooding and destruction to our roadways out east have definitely picked up overnight.”

He said a large section of U.S. 34 between Greeley and Kersey has sustained heavy damage.

The county is working with FEMA officials to begin to transition into a damage estimate and rebuilding mode.

“We have a monumental task ahead of us,” he said.

Many county roads have sustained significant damage, he added, and that also affected recovery efforts Friday and today.

• • •

UPDATE, 8:03 a.m. — The city of Greeley is requesting donations of the following for the downtown Red Cross shelter, set up at the Greeley Recreation Center:

UPDATE, 8:01 a.m. — Evans officials are asking that all residents east of 35th Avenue, EXCEPT CAVE CREEK & COUNTRY ESTATES, refrain from using restroom facilities and running water down drains or plumbing. This includes laundry, bathing, showering, dishwashing, etc. It is not clear how long this will last, but officials are evaluating all available options to restore service as quickly as possible.

• • •

UPDATE, 7:55 a.m. — The Poudre River is still within its banks at U.S. 85 and 8th Street.

• • •

UPDATE, 7:50 a.m. — Weld County officials say the National Guard is still helping to rescue stranded residents in east Greeley and the Kersey area because of flooding along the South Platte River.

In Greeley, City Manager Roy Otto said flooding along the Poudre River appears to be minor at this point. The city has closed 71st, 83rd and 95th avenues because water is lapping over the road, “but it’s not too bad, so far,” Otto said. He added that the city’s sewer plant along the Poudre River in east Greeley was not threatened.

“It appears that at least along the Poudre, it is moving into Greeley at a slow rate and it is being spread out. We’re hesitant to say the danger is over, because it could still get worse. And I know they’re talking more rain later today, and we’re a little worried about that. But so far, it’s not too bad along the Poudre.”

Flooding along the South Platte appears to be worse, although Otto said the flow appears to be receding this morning. The city may soon lift its mandatory evacuation order for the Riverview Farms subdivision, which is in southeast Greeley.

Friday’s flooding along the South Platte in Evans and east Greeley was historic, Otto said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It was amazing.”

UPDATE, 6:50 a.m. — Some major routes in and out of Greeley are closed this morning, including U.S. 34 east to Interstate 76, and U.S. 85 between 37th Street and Colo. 52 in Fort Lupton. Travel remains open west on U.S. 34 into Lovleand. Travel on Interstate 25 is also closed from Harmony Road to Colo. 14, and southbound form Wyoming to Harmony. It has reopened south through Weld County.

» CDOT reminds motorists that while some roadways may appear passable, those near water flow may have hidden damage. Many highways and bridges will stay closed as a precaution until crews are able to determine if they’re safe.

• • •

UPDATE, 6 a.m. — The National Weather Service has more rain in the forecast for northern Colorado today. Fog is expected this morning for the Greeley area. There is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon with a high near 81. There is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight. At 5 a.m., the Poudre River in Greeley was at 7.8 feet. Flood stage is 8 feet. The river is expected to rise near 8.4 feet this afternoon, and recede back below flood stage later today.

» Record flooding continues in Kersey. At 5:30 a.m., the river was at 18.8 feet, well above flood stage of 10 feet. The river is expected to rise to near 19.5 feet by this afternoon, and is not expected to fall back down below flood stage until Wednesday.

• • •

UPDATE, 5:45 a.m. — The Weld County Office of Emergency Management will open at 7 a.m., and more flooding updates will be provided.

• • •

UPDATE, 5:30 a.m. — Evans officials believe peak river flow will come this morning and floodwaters may stick around through the weekend. Residents are not allowed to return to the flooded areas without safety assessments. Waters are well above the previous flood record of 11.73 feet set in 1973. Residents are asked to stay out of the flooded areas from U.S. 85 south to 1st Avenue between 31st Street and 42nd Street, to allow emergency personnel to work.

• • •

UPDATE, 4:57 a.m. — The Weld County Board of Commissioners, along with the Weld County Director of the Office of Emergency Management, will host a press conference at 10 a.m. today, during which they’ll discuss updates on emergency information as well as what county government is doing with regard to infrastructure inspections, damage assessment and community assistance.

• • •

UPDATE, 4:55 a.m. — Weld County Road 13 (Colorado Blvd.) north of Firestone and north of Weld 26 in Weld County was washed away by waters from the St. Vrain River. This road will be closed for some time. Alternative routes advised.

• • •

UPDATE, 4:50 a.m. — The South Platte River near Kersey is swelling to almost 19 feet while the Poudre River in Greeley was at 7.75 feet at 4:30 this morning. U.S. 34 is closed from Greeley to Wiggins due to flooding.